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Global Lighting and Energy Access Program (Global LEAP) LAUNCH ANNOUNCEMENT Partners aim to reach millions with solar lanterns and other energy access solutions through commercial marketsLONDON, 26 April 2012 – Ten partners launched the Global Lighting and Energy AccessPartnership, or Global LEAP, a transformative new collaboration to catalyze markets foroff-grid energy products and services. Global LEAP is a voluntary partnership that includesregional market development efforts, a global quality assurance framework, global awardsto spur product development, and a set of commonly agreed guiding principles.The ten partners include the U.S. Department of Energy, Italy’s Ministry of Land and Sea,the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the UN Foundation, theEnergy and Resources Institute (TERI), the African Development Bank, the GlobalEnvironment Facility, the UN Development Program, and Japan’s Ministry of Economy,Trade & Industry. In addition, over 100 private sector and civil society organizationsaffirmed support for Global LEAP, and its guiding principles.As a key next step to bolster regional market development, representatives from the Italianand U.S. governments also announced today that they would put $4.5 million USD to workto launch “Lighting India”. Under this effort, funded through the Solar LED lightinginitiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial, at least two million people in India will benefitfrom modern, clean lighting by 2015.The Lighting India initiative will be implemented by the IFC and is an expansion of thesuccessful Lighting Africa program, which has already enabled the sale of 500,000affordable, quality-assured off-grid lighting systems benefiting an estimated 2.5 millionpeople without access to electricity.“Global LEAP is helping bring a basic energy service to people who need it – providingaffordable efficient lighting for homes that aren’t connected to a power grid. Off-gridconsumers in developing countries deserve the same performance that we expect fromgrid-connected appliances,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.“IFC is committed to working with our partners to increase energy access to provide cleanlighting to India’s rural population," said IFC Director Thomas Davenport said. IFC is animplementation partner for the Lighting India program, helping address market barriers toscaling up clean energy access.

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The program’s expansion to India was one of the commitments announced today insupport of achieving the goal of Sustainable Energy for All by 2030, an initiative of UNSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s. In order to achieve this goal, the Secretary-General hasidentified interlinked objectives, all to be achieved by 2030 – ensure universal access tomodern energy services, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency anddouble the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.Modern LED lighting as a substitute for kerosene-based lighting will help to address thenegative health impacts associated with kerosene-based lighting.. It also complements otherefforts for grid-extension by leveraging the private sector to enter commercially attractivemarket segments, thereby offering the poor immediate improvements in their livingstandards and a first step towards full electrification.In the past three years, the cost for an equivalent LED lantern has dropped from $80 to $30.While costs have decreased, quality issues with LED lighting are hurting consumers andslowing market development. To date, 29 products have been quality assured based onresults from the Lighting Africa Quality Test Method. Lighting India will have a similarlystrong focus on quality assurance. Several solar powered LED lights made by India-basedcompanies have already been tested under the Lighting Africa program.In addition to Lighting India’s launch, Global LEAP partners have announced a new productawards competition for low-cost super-efficient off-grid appliances (e.g. DC-powered lightbulbs and televisions). Entry rules for manufacturers will be available later this year withawards to be given to winners in 2013.Given the rapid increase of off-grid lighting solutions in the market, Clean EnergyMinisterial partners are working with the International Electrotechnical Commission inGeneva to turn a revised version of test methods developed initially under the LightingAfrica program into the foundation for a sustainable international quality assuranceframework. Governments and program implementers can use this method to establishminimum quality and performance requirements of solar and LED products.These Global LEAP programs continue the momentum behind the Sustainable Energy forAll initiative.. Earlier this month, the European Commission also announced a significantcommitment to action in support of Sustainable Energy for All through their EnergizingDevelopment Initiative (EDI). EDI will assist developing countries in providing access toenergy services for 500 million people by 2030. EDI will also create a world-leadingTechnical Assistance Facility worth 50 million euros, drawing upon EU experts to developtechnical expertise in developing countries.For information on the Clean Energy Ministerial, visit: www.cleanenergyministerial.orgFor information on the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, visit: www.sustainableenergyforall.orgFor information on Lighting Africa, visit: www.lightingafrica.orgAbout IFC : IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focusedexclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financinginvestment, providing advisory services to businesses and governments, and mobilizing capital in the

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international financial markets. In fiscal 2011, amid economic uncertainty across the globe, we helped ourclients create jobs, strengthen environmental performance, and contribute to their local communities—allwhile driving our investments to an all-time high of nearly $19 billion. For more information, visitwww.ifc.org ###